Vespera Resort on Pismo Beach, Autograph Collection — Hotel in Pismo Beach

I have stayed at this resort many times and the service has gone severely downhill. My recent stay last weekend was a huge disappointment. Being a long time Bonvoy member I inquired about a room with a view during check in and was informed that this was not possible and they were "fully committed" for the evening. Even when I inquired about paying for an upgrade I was informed they were "fully committed" for the evening and nothing was available. This was very surprising given that I could go onto the Marriott app at that very moment and book any type of room I wanted as there were tons of choices including ocean fronts and balconies. So all I could imagine was they did not have staff to clear another room. During my stay the front desk staff (apart from a nice gentlemen I encountered the following morning) was very snarky when asking for robes and other guests we had spoken with said they got similar treatment when asking for more towels. While we were trying to enjoy the jacuzzi in the evening there were 8 neighborhood teenagers who joined us who were definitely not staying at the hotel and had just snuck in as the outdoor space is not monitored by anyone from the hotel so there are people using their pool and firepits who are not paying for a hotel stay. The final straw was the additional $20 I just found on my credit card for an additional charge for my valet parking (which is the only option by the way for $45/night) for an additional 2 hrs of parking due to my late check out. So buyer beware if you happen to be able to get a late check out which the gentleman in the morning was nice enough to accommodate you either need to move your car somewhere or will incur this additional fee. Apparently this is new in the last couple of months (this has never been such a thing in the last 4 years I have been staying here) and they do not verbally tell you about this at all they simply surprise you a few days later with a charge. They told me today it is posted on their sign (which is on their little stand outside which you never actually see given they take your car immediately handing you a ticket and simply telling you to text them if you need your car. I am also curious how big this is written on the sign as I briefly saw the sign when I was waiting to get my car upon check out and I only saw overnight guest and transient guest fees so is this is some small fine print? You don't walk past this stand to get inside and they don't tell you to go read all the terms on the stand. In addition when I asked for a late check out the front desk did not tell me to make sure I knew there would be another charge for my car for the additional 2 hr stay.). So for the $45 parking fee you do not even get 24 hrs of parking. You get from your 4pm check in till 11am check out. The service at this hotel is severely lacking given the minimum $500/night one pays to stay here and I will definitely think twice before coming back again on my next stay. There is another nice resort just next door that seems to have a nice outdoor space as well and I will look to check this out instead if the Vespera is not looking to fix their customer service and...

The ocean is always awesome; we had high hopes for a nice, high end Pismo beach getaway. The hotel seemed to fall short unfortunately. The room and design appeared to hit the mark upon first glance; but did not quite pass the feel test. The towels and pillows were not quite luxurious to the touch. The bed was decent, but not amazing. Nice large TV, but not much else. The lamp did not turn off without unplugging, and the sofa had some stains. With around $1k a night, the expectations were to be on par with other high end hotels; but it just was not there. The rooms were lower quality than the price would demand. Not all rooms had a tub. The high end feel is not there. The sound installation is lacking. While the hotel has great proximity to the boardwalk and pier, the lack of sound insulation resulted in the crowds from the pier to keep you up/wake you up. And we were on the top floor. It was rough. Additionally, any time another room opened or closed their door rattle would rattle your door waking you up. For a hotel that markets itself as a dog friendly (see their dog imagery on website) there was zero dog elements except the $150 fee, and a stern dog stern warning waiver (explicitly stating dog must be taken off property to do their business). No dog toys or areas designated for them. We are grateful that they allowed dogs though. Many hotels do not. Service from the staff was hit or miss. Some were great (night front desk manager gentlemen, valet); some treated you like a house guest that overstayed their welcome (female front desk staff with glasses). The pool was freezing. I am all for s cold plunge, but this was too much. The hot tub was too crowded as a result. The hotel seemed to focus on selling drinks and tacos to boardwalking public; this also resulted in the outdoor fire pits, seating areas, and pool space being taken over by non hotel guest (despite the card entry gates). There is no option for self parking; and valet is $45/night. It should also be noted that the hotel does not honor the typical Amex platinum card perks; this despite them being listed on the Amex travel website. I am following up with Amex. There are also some gaps with the service follow through. We came in around 8pm, and there was no valet on site initially (we waited about 7 mins before walking in ourselves and asking for help). Check in was slow, and there was no offer for bell services. Additionally, upon check out, we were offered the option to have our final bill emailed to us…we are still waiting for the email at least 6 days later. We paid for a ocean view room; but the view was more of the boardwalk with a glimpse of the ocean. I would recommend trying four seasons or a ritz. Most food and attractions are walkable. We ended up grabbing most meals from outside the hotel as a result. Access to the beach requires a walk on the boardwalk and then taking steps down. Hotel Gym had a mix of lower weight free weights, and machines; and a few pelotons. There is a small mini fridge in the room. Room also featured a large...

We spent our anniversary there is last weekend. The staff was nothing short of courteous, genuine and attentive. Everyone we spoke to during their shift was very helpful and amazing. We received a nice gift acknowledging our anniversary from the front desk as well as our service attendant on the outside patio. We reserved a small firepit table on the evening of our anniversary. Ryan was very attentive and helpful. The patio area was packed and they had someone singing live music which was nice. The loaded fries and calamari were delicious as was the Albarino bottle we enjoyed. The s'mores were a delicious end to our evening. The view from the room was spectacular and much appreciated. Thank you to the valet guys, the front desk people and our service attendants! So why not 5 stars? The hotel owners & managers need to get control of the non-guests that over-ran, dominated and created a slightly chaotic environment on their patio on the night of our anniversary reservation. A huge baseball group and some other large groups took over the place: there were several bottles of fireball, a couple of cases of beer, cider, etc. brought in and consumed, the team even had 5 or 6 boxes of pizza delivered to them on the patio, the other large groups pulled chairs from our reserved table and got a little aggressive when we asked for them back! Their kids overran the pool and hot tub making it impossible for any adult to relax in either of them. It was an out of control scene that the staff were apologetic for but we know it needs to be managed by the property managers. Vespara is not inexpensive and the prices for the stay, the location, service, drinks and food were in line with my expectations. I was not expecting this type of environment on the patio when I made the reservation. I did not expect the place to be overrun with non-guests who do what they want and take the place over! At least 80% of the group left through the back ocean facing door when it got dark including the ones that got kicked out of the pool area for being loud after hours. They left all of the pizza boxes, cans of alcohol drinks, chairs, and trash all over and everywhere. Is no one paying attention?! They were not guests of the hotel and were allowed to do what they wanted to. I STRONGLY suggest every guest receives a bracelet at check in, are given priority for all seating on the patio area and are the only ones able to use the pool. Maybe have a non-guest seating area that guests can use. Limit the number and register guests of actual hotel guests..? We are members of another resort and know bracelets are successful at keeping control of the people on their property. Vespara, you gotta manage this issue, please. Until then, I will rave about the staff but we wont be back or recommend Vespara in Pismo if it doesn't prioritize guest safety, experience and the environment on...